Coin freed mechanisms



March 19, 1963 D. BAILEY COIN FREED MECHANIsMs Filed Dec. 6, 1961 INVEN TOR. DONALD BAILEY ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,031,858 COIN BREED MECHANISMS Donald Bailey, Mobberley, England, assigner to Sir W. H. Bailey dr Co. Limited, Patricrott, Lancashire, England Filed Dec. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 157,383 Claims priority, application Great Britain dan. 7, 1961 1 casini. (ci. iss- 1032) This invention concerns coin-freed mechanisms, such as turnstiles, vending machines and ticket-issuing machines.

It is frequently difficult to prevent fraudulent oper-ation of such mechanisms where the coinage concerned includes coins of different face values but of very similar nominal diameters. For instance, in British coinage the penny is very sliehtly smaller than the half-crown and in Belgian coinage the 50 centime piece is very slightly different in diameter from the franc piece. Thus, with mechanisms in-tended to be operated with `the higher value coin fraudulent operation by means or the lower value coin is often possible.

An object of this invention is to provide an arrangement which prevents such fraudulent operation, and which is able to distinguish coins even where there are only very ysmall differences in the nominal diameters thereof.

A coin-freed mechanism according to the present invention is characterised in that it comprises a chute for the passage of coins there-through, a chute blocking member `accommodated in an opening in the chute so as to be capable of preventing passage of coins through the chute, and an 'actuating member arranged in the chute so as to be engageable and displaeeable slightly by one lateral edge of a preselected coin on passage through the chu-te, the blocking member and the actuating member being coupled so that la small movement of the latter is translated into suilcient movement of the blocking member to move it out of its chute blocking position and thus permit coins to pass through the chute.

The blocking member and the actuating member are preferably provided by a metal rod bent to provide from one end, a lirst limb which constitutes the actuating member, a pivot part which extends substantially prependicularly to the actuating member and serves for pivotally securing the rod to the chute `with the actuating member extending into its opening in the chute and the pivot part at an angle to the direction of travel of coins through the chute, a spacer member which extends alongside the chute and parallel to the actuating member, a horizontal `connector which is disposed at the side of the chute remote from the pivot part and is perpendicular to the spacer, and a second limb constituting the blocking member which is parallel to the actuating member and projects into its opening in the chute from the side opposite from the first limb.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, it will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof. In the drawings:

FIG. l is a fragmentary perspective View of a chute of a coin-freed mechanism according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation corresponding to FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view correpsonding to FIGS. l and 2.

A coin-freed mechanism controlling a coin-freed mechanism, for example, a turnstile, comprises a coin chute made of metal and substantially rectangular in cross- `section. At its upper end 11, the chute itl is closed, and a circular coin insertion hole 12 is provided in one sidewall 13 thereof 'for insertion of coins which, upon passage through the chute, serve to operate suitable release means (not shown) of the mechanism. The upper end of the chute projects from a housing indicated at 14 in FIG. 2, of the mechanism just sufficiently to provide for the coin insertion hole 12 to be above the top of the housing.

At a short distance below the top of the housing 14, an actuating member slot 15 is provided in the chute 10 in the same sidewall 13 of the latter as the coin insertion hole 12 is provided, this actuating member slot 15 being disposed close to one edgewall 16 of the chute 10 and at a distance from the other edgewall 17 as determined by the respective diameters of alternative coins which the mechanism is to reject or accept, as will be described later.

In the opposite sidewall 18, approximately centrally of the chute, 10, is a blocking member aperture 19, this being arranged at a lower level than the actuating member slot 15.

Pivotally fastened to the chute is a metal rod 2l). This is shaped to provide, from one end, a iirst limb 21 which projects into the actuating member slot 1S of the chute 10 and constitutes an actuating member of the arrangement. Perpendicular to the actuating member 21 is a pivot part 22 which is secured to the outer surface of the adjacent sidewall of the chute by a block 23 or the like which permits pivotal movement of the whole rod 20 about the axis of such pivot part 22, which latter extends at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the chute 1t? so as to connect, adjacent the edgewall 16 of the chute 1li, with a spacer member 24, 25 the latter of which extends horizontally from adjacent the sidewall 13 of the chute to the other sidewall 18 at the same level as the blocking member aperture 19. The spacer member 25 connects, in turn, with a horizontal connector 26 which extends adjacent the sidewall 1 of the chute 1) and connects perpendicularly with a second end limb Z7 of the rod 2t), which second end limb 27 projects into the -blocking member aperture 19 of the chute and constitutes the blocking member of the arrangement.

Assuming the mechanism to be intended for actuation by a half crown or similar coin the actuating member 21 will be `disposed at a distance from the remote edgewall 17 of the chute il) just slightly less than the diameter of a half crown but just slightly greater than the diameter of a penny so that a penny inserted into the chute 10 can pass the actuating member 21, but it is impossible for a halt crown to pass through without engaging the actuating member 21 and displacing the latter. Because the blocking member 27 is ldisposed at a greater distance from the pivot part 22 ot the metal rod 2li than the actuating member 21, the slight displacement of the actuating member 21 which occurs when it is engaged by a half crown is translated into a comparatively large movement of the blocking member 2,7, which is thereby displaced out of its aperture 19 to the position indicated in chain dotted lines in FIG. 2 and permits the coin to pass through the chute.

Should, however, a smaller coin than a half crown (e.g. a penny) be inserted into the coin insertion aperture 12, such coin will fall only a short distance until it engages the blocking member Z7, which latter remains in its chute blocking position corresponding to projection into the chute blocking aperture 19, since the coin does not engage the actuating member 21.

Because the pivot part 22 of the rod 2l) is inclined relative to the direction of passage of coins through the chute 10, the weight of the coin on the blocking member 27 tends to cause the whole rod 2t? to pivot in such a manner that the blocking member 27 projects further into the blocking member aperture 19, so that any pressure applied to the coin in an endeavour to cause it to pass through the chute 1o tends only to maintain the blocking member 27 more eiectively in its chute blocking position.

Any lateral pressure applied to the coin in an attempt to cause it to displace the 'actuating member 2l must also be accompanied by a substantial pressure acting against the blocking member Z7, so that this, too, results in maintaining eicient blocking of the chute 10, the mechanical advantage existing at the blocking mem-ber 27, by reason of the fact that it is further away from the pivot part 22. than the actuating member 21, ensuring always that any improperly applied pressure on the actuating member 21 is overcome by the pressure on the blocking member 27. Thus, the smaller coin cannot be made to pass through the chute 10 to actuate the mechanism.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing example which serves only to illustrate one form which the invention may take, and modifications and variations may be made thereto. For instance, the actuating member and the blocking can be two separate elements connected hydraulically or mechanically (e.g. by levers) in such a manner that a very slight movement of the actuating member results in suicient movement of the blocking member to unblock the chute.

What I claim is:

A coin-freed mechanism comprising, a chute for the passage of coins therethrough, a chute blocking member accommodated -in an opening in said chute and having a capacity for preventing coin passage through said chute, an actuating member arranged in said chute for engagement with and displacement by a lateral edge of a preselected coin on passage through said chute, said blocking and actuating members being coupled wherefore a small movement of said actuating member is translated into a sufficient movement of said 4blocking member to move it out of chute blocking position and permit coins to pass through said chute, said blocking and actuating members being provided with a metal rod ben-t to provide from one end a iirst limb constituting said actuating member, a pivot part extending substantially perpendicularly to said actuating member and serving for pivotally securing the rod to said chute with said actuating member extending into its opening in said chute and said pivot part at an angle to the direction of travel of coins through said chute, a spacer extending alongside said chute and parallel to said actuating member, a horizontal connector disposed at the side of -said chute remote from said pivot part and arranged perpendicular to said spacer, and a second limb `constituting said blocking member and being disposed parallel to said actuating member and projecting into its opening in said chute from the side opposite from the rst limb.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

